Wings of Ice
by Hesychia
Summary: Jack is turned into a fox by a warlock; now children all over the world are cursed with a sickness that can't be healed. It's time for Jack to find out what being a Guardian really means. Post-movie
1. Chapter 1

When he opened his eyes, he was alone. Jack sat up, putting a hand to his pounding skull. "What happened?" he muttered, looking around.

The chill was not unpleasant, for someone like him. If he were human, he knew he would be freezing; there was only ice and rock for as far as he could see.

Something snorted, releasing a puff of cold air from its nostrils. Jack looked up, into the eyes of a reindeer. "Blitzen."

She snorted again, pawing the ground.

"Yeah, I know." He stood up, rubbing her neck. Jack had stolen her for a quick outing. He'd never been good at steering, unfortunately.

Jack mounted her, and Blitzen automatically started trotting up a hill. He looked around from her back, confused. "Where are we?"

Blitzen snorted.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Blitzen snarled softly.

"Grumpy muskox," he muttered, dismounting. "I'm going to take a look around." Jack held up his staff, calling, "Wind!"

The air was still. Jack frowned, calling louder, "Wind! I need a lift!"

"It is a lost cause, child."

Jack whirled around to face a large polar bear. Blitzen watched the creature calmly, as if not surprised that it could talk so clearly.

After he had become a guardian, Jack was surprised to find out that he could understand reindeer; North told him it was because the guardians needed to understand animal, though only the older few, like Bunny, could completely speak English.

Jack frowned at the polar bear, recognizing that the creature must be at least as old as Bunny. "What are you talking about?"

"The wind will not respond; we have been waiting for you, Jack Frost."

The Guardian frowned. "Why?"

"Come; there is much to do and little time." The polar bear turned, galloping away.

Jack exchanged glances with Blitzen, sighing as he climbed on her back.

Jack knelt in the igloo, frowning at the child. A little girl lay wrapped in fur blankets, breathing heavily with a hot fever. "What do you want me to do?" he asked in a low voice, turning to the polar bear, who stuck his head through the entrance.

The beast's eyes were sad as he murmured, "Skadi, the great owl, cursed her; she cannot be healed."

"Then why did you bring me? I'm not a healer."

"I know; the curse is broken if Skadi is defeated."

Jack stood up, shaking his head. "No; I'm not fighting any snow pigeon."

"She is not the first, Jack," the polar bear uttered softly. "There are entire villages where the children are sick."

Jack paused, turning to the bear. "Why?"

"It is… a long story."

Jack sighed, looking back at the sleeping girl. She stirred, opening her eyes. The child suddenly lit up, smiling weakly. "You're… Jack Frost…"

He knelt beside her, smiling. "You bet I am."

She coughed faintly, laying back and looking up at him with hopeful eyes. "Are you going to… help all the sick kids?"

Jack paused, and then took her burning hand, smirking. "I am; promise. Now go back to sleep."

Her eyes shone happily, and then she yawned and lay quietly, breathing steady. The bear watched as Jack stood and turned, sighing. "Well I am a Guardian." He indicated outside. "Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

"You can't just kidnap my reindeer!"

"Well, Skadi stole the wind, so I don't really have an option, North!" Jack glared into the ice mirror where North's face scolded him from.

"Jack, Skadi has never been troublesome before!"

"Well, she is now. I'm going, and I'm taking Blitzen. See you." Before North could respond, Jack shattered the ice mirror. The reindeer snorted curiously.

"North taught me how to do that; convenient, right?"

Blitzen pawed the ground as Jack hopped on her back. They trotted after the polar bear through the bright frozen world.

They skirted around multiple villages; Jack wondered how many children were in those houses, sick with no hope. "Maybe we should visit them," he called to the bear, but the beast shook its head.

"We have to hurry to Skadi's nest; we cannot waste time."

Jack sighed as Blitzen ran faster to catch up with the polar bear.

In a few minutes they arrived at a forest; after a half hour, the polar bear slowed down and nodded forward. "We are here."

The nest was not in a tree, as Jack had thought. In fact, the nest covered a large area of ground, surrounded by a thick, tangled wall of branches. Jack glanced at the polar bear, who explained, "Wait for Skadi to come back; when she does, retrieve the crystal tied around her ankle. That is her source of power."

"And then?"

"Bring it to me; I'll know what to do. Good luck."

Jack took a deep breath, grabbing onto a branch and lifting himself up, climbing over it and landing in a soft nest. He looked around; the nest was only a foot or two off the ground. Jack stood, brushing feathers off him.

Something occurred to him; Jack turned around, frowning at the empty nest. Something was wrong, but he didn't understand what.

Before he could put his finger on it, a cry echoed from above. Jack held up his staff to defend himself; a large snowy owl dove towards him angrily.

The creature flapped furiously; the force of the draft caused him to fall back. He pointed his staff and a spear of ice shot out, wrapping around Skadi's feathered leg. The owl screeched, pecking at the ice and breaking it, wings forcing more wind at Jack to hold him while she pinned him with her talons.

Jack cried out in pain, struggling to point his staff at her. Skadi's beak darted down, snatching the staff. The great owl threw her head back, crunching the weapon in two above him.

The broken pieces fell around him; Jack squirmed, trying to escape her grip. He suddenly spotted something on the bird's leg; the Guardian grabbed Skadi's talons and froze them to the nest. The owl squawked furiously as Jack crawled out and snatched the crystal that was tied around her leg.

He tossed it over the edge of the nest, yelling, "Hurry up! I'm getting killed in here!"

Skadi screeched in disbelief, her wings pounding as she screamed to the sky.

Jack watched in horror as the great owl suddenly began to shrink; he could see her bones lessening in size, which appeared to cause her great pain.

The Guardian climbed over the edge of the nest. The polar bear was gone; in his place was a tall, black-haired human wearing only the hide of a polar bear. The man held the crystal, gazing at it lovingly. "Thank you so much, Jack."

"You're saving those kids?"

The polar bear laughed, meeting his eyes. "You really think Skadi was the one that made them sick?"

Jack's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"It was me, Frost; I just needed to get my crystal back so I could get back to business."

He frowned. "How did Skadi get it, then?"

"Mmm… I'm not telling." The man frowned at him. "Of course, I can't have you running around giving the game away."

Before Jack could rush the man, his body started to convulse. The Guardian screamed as his muscles and bones shrunk and twisted into new locations. The pain dazzled him, and black spots swam before his eyes as he fell unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry if the story seems slow.**

Baby Tooth fluttered beside the child, chirping. The little boy looked over at her with dead eyes, but he smiled weakly when he saw her. Baby Tooth pressed her hand against his nose, smiling as she turned and fluttered out the window with the tooth.

The queen was always busy, but Baby Tooth managed to dart in between other fairies vying for her attention. The little fairy chirped loudly, informing the queen of the sick child.

The queen sighed, wondering at the sickness. It seemed to have escalated over the last two days; it was spreading so fast that she knew the chances of it being a normal virus were very slim. This sickness was definitely caused by a spirit. _Or worse_, she thought, directing the other fairies, _a warlock._

**Breakline**

Jack noticed the ache first; he winced as he stood on his hands and knees. His eyes were closed as he muttered, "Ow."

He gasped as the sound came out a soft bark. Jack's eyes opened quickly, and he stared at two neat little paws where his hands should be. "Wha-" He tried to cover his mouth as another bark came out, but his paw couldn't reach.

Without thinking he tried to stand, but lost his balance and fell on his face into a patch of feathers. He spat them out, staring at the nest. He had been at least ten feet away from it when he-

Jack shuddered at the memory of the pain. He curled into a ball, gazing at his fluffy white tail. _A fox,_ he thought dully. _I couldn't have been a wolf, or a polar bear, or even an owl. A fox._

_ Good morning._ He hadn't exactly heard the words, but he understood them like he understood the reindeer. Jack yipped in surprise, whirling around.

Skadi stood there; in her mouth dangled a lemming, which she placed on the ground. _Breakfast._

Jack didn't know how to say thanks, so he nodded and nibbled at the fur, hiding his disgust.

The owl was much smaller now; the size of a regular bird of prey. However, she still looked daunting from his perspective.

He saw his clothes lying nearby, next to his broken staff. They weren't very useful at this moment, he knew. Jack nodded to them, and Skadi chirped. _I'll look after them for you._

Suddenly, Jack realized something. He turned and climbed through the entangled branches, trotting in the snow.

Jack didn't like going anywhere without flying; even as a human, running wasn't fun. Now, though, it was torture. _Nothing like shrinking four feet to help you realize how big the world is,_ he thought, tripping over his feet.

He continued on until he reached Blitzen, who was grazing calmly near the edge of the forest. She looked up as he approached, prancing in step nervously. _It's me_, Jack tried to say, but he couldn't.

The reindeer snorted, leaning down to sniff him. She whinnied with realization, nuzzling him in the side. _Yeah, I lost some weight_. Blitzen lay down, letting him climb on her back.

As Jack clung to her back, Skadi screeched and flew towards them. She hovered above them, shaking her leg. Jack barked, acknowledging that he needed to retrieve the crystal.

Blitzen stood, trotting, then galloping, towards Santa's workshop. She leaped off of a rock, out into the sky. Blitzen galloped as Skadi flew a circle around them, screeching once more before she flew back.

**Breakline**

North glared at the empty stall, stomping towards the entrance to the reindeer stables. A storm had begun outside the workshop; the Guardian was getting more concerned as sleet and thunder pounded the walls.

Donner called worriedly; North sighed and patted the leader's back. "She'll be back soon."

Suddenly, a small horn began to toot. North ran towards the door, the other reindeer lifting their heads curiously. The elf tossed the horn away, pointing at the sky. Blitzen, soaking wet from the sleet, galloped through the night, diving into the stables and tripping, landing hard on the icy floor.

North ran forward, making sure she was unharmed as Donner called to his mate excitedly. Blitzen shakily stood, crying out to a puff of white stuck in a round hay bale. The reindeer grabbed the creature's tail in her teeth, pulling to reveal a white arctic fox.

She dropped him on the floor; Jack snarled at her and she snorted, turning and walking into her stall.

North frowned down at the fox, clearly confused. He grabbed the creature by its tail, holding it to his face. "You brought home a stray, old girl?"

Blitzen snorted proudly.

_North! It's me; Jack! Put me down! _All that came out were barks and yips. North laughed.

"Feisty one! You belong outside!"

Blitzen snorted; North gasped and dropped the fox. Jack landed on his feet, snarling at the man in red.

North stared down at him in wonder. "Jack?"

**Note: The reason North does not understand Jack is because Jack only recently became an animal and as mentioned in the first chapter, only older animals understand how to communicate with humans.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I had a bad week... And I'm really embarrassed now... So... Oops. Meanwhile, story!**

Tooth knelt beside the fox, her pink eyes wide. "Well… Um… Look at the bright side! You've… lost weight. And you're… fluffier..?"

Jack rolled his eyes, turning around and plopping himself down on the carpet.

"Don't bother, Tooth," Bunny chuckled. "Well, Jack, welcome to the animal kingdom."

Jack yelped as he was picked up by his tail; he bit Bunny's arm and the rabbit dropped him. "Feisty, aren't you?"

"Stop fooling around," North growled, pacing the room loudly. "Do any of you know how to fix him?"

The others looked at each other; Sandman, who was sitting beside Jack, shrugged helplessly.

North sighed. "I suppose it is expected; the Man in Moon hasn't said a word either."

Suddenly, a yeti trotted up, calling to North. "What?" the Santa Claus asked. "An owl at the door?"

Jack stood and trotted after the yeti; the others followed curiously.

Another yeti opened the door as Skadi fluttered inside. Jack yipped at her, standing on his hind legs and tugging her talons.

The owl landed, nuzzling him, and then flew to North's arm. _He was changed by a warlock._

North nodded curiously. "Tell us what happened, Skadi."

The owl turned her head as if to face everyone. _It is near midsummer; the time for eggs to hatch. My eggs were stolen by a hungry, wicked man. I hunted him, and changed him into a polar bear. _She bowed her head, ashamed. _In my grief, I released a sickness that overcame a tribe, and their offspring fell prey to it. Only my source of power, my crystal, could heal them._

_ I was on my way to their tribe to right my wrong, but the bear attacked. He wounded my wing, forcing me back to my nest to recover. _

_ Meanwhile, he stole a sick child from the tribe, and carried him to the next village. The bear spread the sickness for weeks; that is when Jack arrived. _

Jack lie down with his head between his paws; he knew the rest of the story.

**Breakline**

"It wasn't your fault, you know," Tooth murmured, brushing the dirt out of his tail. Jack hated being treated like a pet, but he decided he was better off with Tooth than Bunny or North.

_Yes, it was._ The rabbit had taught Jack the secret of animal communication, and Sandy had practiced with him tirelessly.

"No, it's not, Jack; you were just trying to help."

_I knew there was something wrong with the bear; I knew that it was strange for Skadi not to have eggs or chicks this time of year. I knew, and I messed things up! _He pulled his tail away from her, sitting in a shaft of moonlight with his head bowed.

Tooth sighed, hovering in the air. "We all make mistakes, Jack." She paused. "When I first joined, I was so nervous. I thought I had to prove myself because I was a girl. So when I was collecting teeth one night, I found a nightmare. I chased it out of the child's head, and in the sky we fought for a long time. I was new, and I didn't know how to kill nightmares.

"Unfortunately, the battle took so long that by the time I finished him off, I didn't get nearly a quarter of the children's teeth by morning." She winced. "I almost lost my guardianship that night… Luckily, the Man in the Moon started giving me helpers, so it wouldn't happen again."

Jack watched her. _I'm sorry. _

"Don't be; I learned my lesson."

He sighed, looking away. _What if… The sickness is too much? What if because of me, children start dy-_

Tooth put a gentle hand on Jack's back, smiling kindly. "We'll save them, Jack. Now, sometimes even Guardians need a nap every two hundred years, and because you're an animal, you're not as strong." She stood, walking to the door and taking the knob. "Goodnight, Jack."

_G'night._

The instant she was gone, Jack stood and looked up at the moon. He knew what he had to do.

**By the way, if anyone likes Zutara and Doctor Who, you should check out my crossover, ****Fire, Ice, and the Oncoming Storm****. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
